How to Improve Sleep Quality

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How to Improve Sleep Quality

Most of us have heard about aiming for a solid eight hours of sleep a night. But sufficient sleep is about more than quantity.

The quality of your sleep is just as important, if not more important, than the number of hours of sleep. Getting high-quality, restorative sleep one of the six pillars of lifestyle medicine. Can improve your cognition (thinking abilities), reduce pain, decrease stress and give you more energy, among other benefits. 

How much sleep should I be getting?

The general recommendation is seven or eight hours. There’s a mantra in our society that it is stoic to go without sleep and push through to get things done. However, this can really take a toll on your health over the long term.

It is also important to understand how many of the hours you are lying in bed are actually spent going through the four stages of the sleep cycle to attain restorative sleep. Wearable devices can help do this by  measuring both the quantity and quality โปรโมชั่นพิเศษจาก UFABET สมัครตอนนี้ รับโบนัสทันที of your sleep. If you’re spending nine or 10 hours asleep at night but you’re tired the next day, there may be something else going on — such as obstructive sleep apnea, when you actually stop breathing for short spells several times a night.

What are the stages of sleep?

You’ll have the best sleep quality if you experience all four stages of sleep. If you miss even one stage, you won’t feel your best the next day. The four sleep stages are:

  1. Falling asleep. This is when your body prepares for sleep and releases melatonin, the hormone your brain produces to regulate your sleep-wake cycles. Rising melatonin levels make you feel drowsy. Your body also starts to cool down in preparation for sleep.
  2. Early onset. This middle stage is vital because it is when your body repairs its cells. 
  3. Late sleep. Cell repair continues during this stage and rapid eye movement (REM) increases. Your body also takes up leptin, a hormone that helps us manage our emotions. Low levels of leptin can increase your feeling of fear. Leptin is also an appetite suppressant, which explains why getting sufficient sleep is important for weight management. During late sleep, the neurotransmitter serotonin is reabsorbed, which helps us feel good the next day and think clearly and also regenerates our muscles.
  4. Gradual awakening. Your body makes less melatonin and begins to warm up to prepare you to awaken.